By: Becca Friedman

In a neck-and-neck game, the Gators came out on top against the University of Tampa Spartans during their matchup Friday evening. The Spartans have had a successful season so far with a record of 9 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie compared to the Gators 7 wins, 4 losses, and 0 ties. The two teams were evenly matched, and this was reflected on the ice. It wasn’t until the end of the third that the Gators were out of the woods, for the Spartans were pressing to tie up the score through the final seconds of the game. The Gators, however, did not let up and ended the game with a 4-3 win. Goals were scored by Katz (#3), McCoy (#89), Edwards (#74) and Horwitz (#27). 

Florida has struggled with consistency on the road. They went 0-2 in their series against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and 1-1 in their games against the UCF Knights. Worries regarding this inconsistency were put to rest with Florida’s 4-1 victory against the Tampa Spartans on Saturday evening. The Gators did what they do best: continuously apply pressure on net. The team’s offensive efforts have been impressive with the Gators averaging about 37.7 shots on goal in their last six games. In their Saturday matchup against Tampa, Florida put up 15 more shots on goal than the night before. Lampinen (#34), Katz (#2), Horwitz (#27) and Mara (#19) got the Gators their four goals to close out a winning series against Tampa. 

The Gators got the big home win at Community First Igloo Saturday night, while also celebrating Pink in the Rink night in support of the American Cancer Society. The team sported black and pink jerseys with “Hockey Fights Cancer” printed on the shoulder. To raise money for the UF Health Cancer Center, the Gators auctioned off the limited edition jerseys and sold “Hockey Fights Cancer” T-shirts as well. 

With a successful weekend behind them, the Gators will not hit the ice again for over two months. The team will face the 11th-place University of South Florida when they return on January 26th.